Lilium, an aviation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing jet (eVTOL) and service for regional air mobility, has announced a long-term partnership with Aciturri, an aerostructures manufacturer, to build the airframe of the Lilium Jet.
The partnership follows a competitive procurement process and is a major step towards creating prototypes for serial production of the Lilium Jet. The agreement also marks a new growth segment for Aciturri, which has experience in catering to tier one businesses, including the design and manufacturing of major airframe components for Airbus, Boeing and Embraer.
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Under the terms of the deal Aciturri will undertake the production of the Lilium Jet’s primary composite structures, which will use materials supplied by Toray Industries, with which Lilium signed an agreement for the supply of high-performance carbon fibre composite materials in May 2020.
This partnership will see Lilium’s engineers collaborate with Aciturri’s manufacturing experts to create a bespoke airframe design, accounting for the industrialisation of the manufacturing process, the design of the complex fuselage structure, as well as the highly integrated canards and wing structures which support the aircraft propulsion systems.
Yves Yemsi, chief programme officer at Lilium commented, “During my 16 years at Airbus, I became well acquainted with Aciturri’s capabilities in producing complex composite structures for commercial aircraft, to exacting quality standards. Few companies in the world have mastered designing and manufacturing aerospace composite structures like Aciturri. It is for this reason that the company is an ideal partner for Lilium, as we continue our strategy of working with the best tier one aerospace suppliers. This is imperative as we manage de-risking high-volume production of our aircraft. We are excited to have Aciturri fully on board as we prepare for prototyping and serial manufacture ahead of our commercial launch.”
Commenting further on the partnership, Alvaro Fernandez Baragaño, CEO of Aciturri added, “This long-term partnership allows us to work collaboratively with Lilium through its early operational years, and beyond, throughout which we will continue to explore new methods and advanced technologies which our advanced techniques are capable of achieving, to ensure production of the highest quality and at growing scale.”
